EU112 LESSON 2

Family Structures & Perspectives

Definition and Importance of the Family

• The family is a primary social institution and basic unit in society.

• Performs multifaceted functions making it essential in society.

• Families differ worldwide but share common concerns.

What is Family?

• A group united by ties of marriage, blood, or adoption.

• Interacting and communicating in social roles (husband, wife, parent, child).

Theoretical Perspectives on the Family

1. Structural-Functionalism Theory

   • Views family as a social institution that performs essential functions: socialization, reproduction, economic support.

   • Families operate best when each member fulfills their assigned roles.

2. Conflict Theory

   • Emphasizes power dynamics and inequalities based on gender, age, and resources.

   • Family relationships shaped by broader social, economic, and political forces.

3. Feminist Theory

   • Focuses on gender inequalities and patriarchal structures in families.

   • Analyzes oppression of women and how gender interacts with race, class, and sexuality.

4. Symbolic Interactionism

   • Family roles and identities are negotiated through interactions.

   • Focuses on how relationships are created and modified through daily interactions.

5. Life Course Perspective

   • Analyzes how families change over time due to life transitions and social policies.

   • Views family development as a dynamic process influenced by multiple factors.

Family Structures

Family Types

• Family of Orientation: Family into which a person is born.

• Family of Procreation: Family formed by having or adopting children.

Family Structures Classification

1. By Size and Structure

   • Nuclear: Composed of one or two parents and dependent children living apart from relatives.

   • Extended: Family unit composed of relatives living in the same household.

2. By Marriage

   • Endogamy: Marriage between the same social group.

   • Exogamy: Marriage between different social groups.

   • Polygamous: Marriage uniting three or more people (polygyny and polyandry).

   • Monogamous: Married or romantically committed to one person.

3. By Residential Patterns

   • Patrilocal: Living with the husband's family.

   • Matrilocal: Living with the wife's family.

   • Neolocal: Living apart from both families.

4. By Power and Authority

   • Patriarchal: Dominated by males.

   • Matriarchal: Dominated by females.

   • Egalitarian: Equal power sharing between parents.

5. By Descent Alignment

   • Patrilineal: Father’s side predominates.

   • Matrilineal: Mother’s side predominates.

   • Bilateral: Equal influence from both sides.

Alternative Family Structures

• Blended: Families with children from previous relationships.

• Cohabitating: Unmarried couples living together.

• Co-parenting: Raising a child without being in a relationship.

• Same-sex Families: Same-sex couples with or without children.

• Single-parent Families: Constituted of one parent with children.

Marriage Patterns & Trends

Global Trends

• Decrease in marriage rates in many countries.

• Increase in the age at first marriage; individuals prioritizing education and career.

• Rising cohabitation rates before or instead of marriage.

• Increasing prevalence of single parenting.

• Same-sex marriage legalized in many countries since the late 20th century.

• Increased divorce rates, though stabilizing or declining in some areas.

• Growth in remarriage rates leading to more blended families.

• Rise in interracial and interethnic marriages, arranged marriages still prevalent in some cultures.